Rant in East Carolina Student Newspaper Spurs Racial Tension, Death Threats for Editor

By: Dan Reimold | College Media Matters

An anonymous rant with racist overtones run in East Carolina University’s student newspaper has triggered controversy, outside media coverage, a free speech debate, a campus-wide racial inequality panel and even death threats directed at the paper’s editor-in-chief.

Named after the school’s mascot, “Pirate Rants” is a regular feature run in The East Carolinian opinion section — presenting a mix of “views, opinions and frustrations” from ECU students, faculty and staff. Each rant is submitted anonymously, subsequently appearing online and in print without outside vetting or editing (except for profanity and libel).